This trial is aiming to treat gait (walking) abnormalities in patients with stroke using virtual reality. The main outcome to be measured will be an improvement in step length and symmetry. This study is taking place in Omaha, Nebraska, the United States.
The details
Patients with stroke often have complications associated with walking. This side effect consists in a difference between the steps during walking (steps on the affected side are longer than the other). Split-belt treadmill therapy is the standard treatment. A split-belt treadmill has 2 belts, one for each leg, running alongside each other. The brain adapts to that situation, and the patient continues to walk as he did on the treadmill. However, this often difficult to apply because patients can not sense their step differences between both legs. A treatment with virtual reality (VR) may give the patient a better sense of this difference.
This study is evaluating the effect of using VR for walking abnormalities in patients who had a stroke. The main outcome to be measured is the difference in length and time of a step taken by one leg compared to the other leg.
Who are they looking for?
This trial is recruiting 120 participants with stroke and gait complications. Patients must have had a single one-sided stroke more than 3 months ago. Patients must be able to stand and walk 10 meters without assistance.
Patients must not have a hip fracture, a heart attack, or any other condition that can affect walking such as Parkinson disease.
How will it work
Patients will be assigned to either a group with symmetric gait or a group with an asymmetric gait. Then each patient will be randomly assigned to perform a split-belt treatment with either using virtual reality (treatment group) or not using virtual reality (control group).
The difference in step length and time for each leg to move will be recorded the next day.
